Britain and the European Union have signed a preliminary free trade agreement that should prevent New Year’s chaos for cross-border traders and bring some level of security to businesses after years of Brexit turmoil.
With just over a week until the UK’s final split from the EU, the UK government said the “deal is done”.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said she was happy with the deal.
“At the end of a successful negotiating journey I normally feel joy. But today I just feel very satisfied, and frankly, relief. I know this is a difficult day for some, and for our friends in the UK want to saying goodbye is such a sweet sadness, ” von der Leyen told journalists.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deal achieved what those who voted for Brexit were looking for.
“We have taken back control of our laws and our destinies. We have taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulations in a way that is complete and untethered,” Johnson said in televised comments.
He stressed that Britain would remain close to Europe under the terms of the new deal.
“We will be your friend, your ally, your supporter, and indeed never let it be forgotten, your number one market. Because even though we have left the EU, this country will remain culturally, emotionally, historically, strategically, geologically attached to Europe. , ”Johnson continued.
The 500-page deal aims to allow the two sides to trade goods without tariffs or quotas. But despite the breakthrough, key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-country bloc and its former member remain uncertain.
The UK and European Parliaments should both hold votes on the deal, although the latter may not happen until after the UK leaves the EU’s economic embrace on January 1.
Months of tense and often laborious negotiations have gradually reduced the differences between the two sides to three core themes: rules for fair competition, mechanisms for resolving future disputes and fishing rights. The right of EU boats to tow in UK waters remained the last obstacle before it was resolved.
However, important aspects of the future relationship between the 27-country bloc and its former member remain unresolved.
Johnson had insisted that the UK would “thrive” even if no deal was reached and the UK had to trade with the EU under the terms of the World Trade Organization. But his administration has acknowledged that a chaotic exit would likely cause a deadlock in UK ports, temporary shortages of certain goods and price increases for staple foods.
The EU has long feared that post-Brexit Britain would undermine the bloc’s social, environmental and state aid rules and become a low-regulation rival on the bloc’s doorstep. Britain has denied plans to introduce weaker standards, but said it would undermine its sovereignty if it were to continue to follow EU regulations.
Ultimately, a compromise was reached on the tricky issues of “a level playing field”. The economically small but hugely symbolic issue of fish became the final sticking point, with maritime EU countries trying to maintain access to British waters where they have long fished and Britain insisting that it exercise control as an ‘independent coastal state’ .
Major fishing gaps were gradually closed during weeks of intense negotiations in Brussels, even as Johnson insisted that a no-deal exit was a likely and satisfactory outcome of the nine-month discussions on the future relationship between the EU and its ex-member nation.
It has been 4 1/2 years since the British voted 52% -48% to leave the EU and – in the words of the Brexiteers’ campaign slogan – “take back control” of Britain’s borders and laws.
It took more than three years of struggles for Britain to leave the bloc’s political structures on January 31. It took even longer to untangle economies that were closely intertwined as part of the internal market for goods and services in the EU.
The UK has remained part of the internal market and customs union during a transition period of 11 months after Brexit. As a result, many people will have noticed little impact from Brexit so far.
On January 1, the break starts to feel real. The new year will bring big changes, even with a trade deal. Goods and people will no longer be able to move freely between the UK and its continental neighbors without border restrictions.
EU nationals will no longer be able to live and work in Britain without a visa – although that doesn’t apply to the more than 3 million who already do – and Britons will no longer be able to automatically work or retire in EU countries. Exporters and importers face customs declarations, goods controls and other obstacles.
The UK-EU border is already reeling from new restrictions placed on travelers from Britain to France and other European countries due to a new coronavirus variant sweeping through London and southern England. Thousands of trucks were stuck in traffic jams near Dover on Wednesday, waiting for their drivers for virus tests so they could enter the Eurotunnel to France.
British supermarkets say it will take days to catch up and there could be a shortage of fresh produce during the holiday season.
Despite the deal, there are still unanswered questions about vast areas, including security cooperation between the UK and the bloc and access to the EU market for Britain’s massive financial services sector.